Not alone on Christmas
by Its-perfectly-reckless
Summary: Just a little Ulquihime on their first Christmas together. One-shot. Cover image by Zelka94 on DA.


**A/N: So this is just a little Ulquihime Christmas thing I wrote as a gift for my friend Zelka94, and I decided to share it with the rest of you ^_^**

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Once again he found himself confused and overwhelmed by the traditions of the human world. Orihime had been going on and on about this "Christmas", and he still wasn't sure he understood what it was all about. Something about a tree and presents, being naughty or nice and holiday cheer, whatever that was. Even so, he had promised her that he would participate in the celebration with her, and was currently trying to figure out what he was supposed to get her as a gift. She wouldn't tell him what she wanted, saying to get her whatever he thought she would like, and he was bewildered as to where to even begin. There were so many shops in the mall, and there were huge sale signs outside each of them, but  
that only made it seem harder to pick one to go into. Thinking back over the time that he had been with her, he tried to think of things she may have mentioned liking, or wanting in the past, that would help him narrow down his choices. The first thing that came to mind was sweet bean paste, thinking of the amount of things she would eat it on made a shiver run down his spine, he knew for a fact that she loved the stuff and figured she could never have too much with her appetite. He didn't hate the stuff, but it wasn't his preferred choice of condiment either, he swore the woman had a stomach made of steel.

Exiting the small grocery shop, he started to wander around aimlessly, feeling like something she ate everyday was not enough of a gift, but was still having trouble coming up with something else. It was then that he spotted a sign that read "Give her a gift from the heart", his feet turning in that direction before he had time to think about it. The store was full of jewelry, and he approached a woman wearing a name tag, knowing that she would be able to help him. "Excuse me...How does one go about giving a gift "from the heart"? That seems completely illogical and impossible." He said when she turned her attention to him. "Well...it doesn't mean that literally sir." She responded, seeming a bit weary of him. "Well then what does it mean? I am trying to figure out a gift for the woman in my life and she is very fond of the idea of the heart." The woman gave him a gentle smile. "I see...so it's for a woman. Then you want to pick out something that represents you, and your relationship. Something that when she wears it, makes her think of you." He considered her words, and then asked for her assistance with finding something. Finally finding something he believed  
would be appropriate, the woman rang him up and had it wrapped for him too.

It was finally Christmas Eve, she'd been staring at the moderately sized gift with her name on it, under their small tree, for two whole weeks and she was dying to know what was in it. She hadn't given him any hints on what to get her, knowing that no matter what he chose she would cherish it, and was driving herself mad coming up with things that it could be. Admittedly, finding a gift for him had been really hard. She wanted it to be meaningful, but had no clue what, if anything would hold meaning for him. In the end, she decided that appealing to his logical side would go over best, buying him some new clothes, but the idea of something more personal wouldn't leave her alone. The man expressed interest in almost nothing so far...except reading! He loved to read, maybe she could find some books on subjects that he might find interesting. Wandering from aisle to aisle, she perused the shelves of the local book store for hours before finally settling on her choices and rushing home to wrap them before he returned. And now she was nervous, worried that he wouldn't like the ones that she picked out, the feeling only growing when they finished dinner and made  
their way to the living room.

They had decided to open gifts on Christmas Eve, so that they could spend all day on Christmas in bed, being lazy and forgetting the rest of the world for awhile. Something she normally did alone, until this year, and she was overjoyed to have someone to share it with. Grabbing the gifts from under the tree, they took a seat next to one another on the couch and exchanged them. "You go first." She said quietly, nodding at the boxes in his lap. Anticipation was eating away at her as she watched him tear the paper off the first box, finding the clothing inside. " I find the color choices of these garments pleasing, thank you." He said awkwardly, not sure how to accept a gift. Next were the books. She had gotten one on the history of Japanese culture and customs, and another on the origin of words and languages. " These both seem like they will help me greatly with understanding this world. While I do not understand the significance of receiving these gifts, I can say that I appreciate them. Your patience and willingness to teach me have been more than enough however." His words quiet, but sincere. As expected, his facial expression didn't change much when he opened his presents, but she could see the shimmer of intrigue in his eyes when he looked over the books. " Giving each other gifts, from the heart, is something that people who love each other do. It's another way to show someone you care for them." She replied, a small smile on her face. "OK, my turn!" excitement taking over her face. She honestly couldn't wait to see what was in the box sitting on her lap.

When she spoke of giving gifts from the heart, he was reassured that he had chosen the right gifts for her. Watching her tear into the paper with all the energy and enthusiasm of a small child, he almost chuckled at the look of pure joy that took over her entire face when her eyes landed on the jars of bean paste. He had purchased several at once, that way she wouldn't need any for awhile. "Oh wow! Now I have enough to try a million more combinations!" She exclaimed. He could already see the wheels turning in her head, images of who knows what kind of horrid creations dancing behind her eyes, a far away look on her face. He took her moment of distraction to pull the smaller box out of his pocket. " I have one more for you." His voice coming out less firm and sure than he expected. Was this what it felt like to be nervous? He couldn't explain it, even though he knew that it was perfect, doubt was now creeping up on him. His palms were sweating, and his leg started to bounce, as if out of his control. What if she didn't get it? What if she hated it, or found it to be ugly? Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he realized that she already had the wrapping off and was  
opening the small box. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes went wide for a few moments, then her face lit up with the biggest smile he'd ever seen, catching him off guard when she threw her arms around his neck. "Oh Ulqui! It's beautiful...and it's perfect." Squeezing him to her. The necklace had a delicate silver chain, with a small pendant in the shape of a bat. The wings were made of black onyx, the body a delicate silver and a small emerald stone hung from the bats clawed feet. The fact that she seemed to like his second form a lot, and tended to jokingly call him batman, even though he didn't really understand it, were the reasons for his choice. That and he hoped as the woman at the jewelry store had said, that it would make her think of him when he wasn't around. "Thank you. Your gifts show me that you understand the heart more than you realize. At least mine anyways." She whispered, placing a kiss on his cheek.

"I am relieved that you like it so much. You are welcome, Orihime. But there is one more thing. I learned about a Christmas tradition today, that you did not explain to me." Standing and pulling her up with him. Taking a few steps, he stopped near the tree and placed his hands at her waist, holding her against him. Gesturing for her to look up he watched her blush when she realized what he was talking about. "Mistletoe." A breathless word on her lips, as the color of her cheeks deepened. Leaning in he placed a chaste kiss on her lips, he was amused that she could still be so shy after all this time. "Ulquiorra...I wanted to say thank you for celebrating with me. Even though you didn't want to...it makes me happy and I'm just glad that you are here with me. This is the first Christmas since my brother died, that I'm not alone...and that means more to me than you could ever know." Her gaze steady as she spoke, body pressing closer to his. He didn't speak, choosing to kiss her again instead, longer and with more passion this time. " I will not let you be alone anymore. I owe my life to you, and intend to be at your side for as long as you will have me." Hands cupping her face. "Forever." She whispered. "Now, before I chicken out, take me to bed so I can show you how naughty this good girl can be." Her voice husky in his ear. And there went the shyness. He wasted no time in picking her up and carrying her up the stairs to their room. If her naughty side came out the way it had that night, every Christmas, it was quickly going to be his favorite holiday in this world.


End file.
